As the job title suggests, candidates for this role should have excellent analytical skills. They should be able to derive logical conclusions from large amounts of data. Candidates should also have hands-on experience with business intelligence tools, like Tableau and SAS. If applicable, consider adding an Excel test to your hiring process to evaluate candidates’ knowledge of spreadsheets and advanced formulas.

Your candidates may come from various academic backgrounds, like Computer Science, Statistics or Economics. The following questions will help you gauge how candidates report and manage data discrepancies. If the role involves managing a team of Data Analysts, test your potential hires’ leadership skills and assess their culture fit.

Operational and Situational questions

What data would you compile to forecast our company’s growth for next year?

How would you organize data into spreadsheets to track performance metrics for each department? What kinds of reports would you produce?

What models would you use to forecast monthly sales revenues based on historical data?

How would you explain to senior managers how a big data model works, using simple language?